As difficult and challenging as these last 8 months have been, it's a relief to finally have a diagnosis. I have to admit it was a shock and not the diagnosis we would have wished, but we are both feeling fine with it and trusting that God, who has lovingly led us all along our life's journey, will continue to be with us to the end.
Alzheimer's. The word is full of emotion and conjures up all kinds of pictures of old people sitting around staring into space or wandering around the neighborhood or doing weird and all kinds of nonsensical things. The fact is Alzheimer's is a disease in which brain cells are dying. There is no cure. Different people progress at different rates, staying at one stage for longer or shorter periods of time than others. There are some medications available that may slow the progression of the disease. But no one can say how long someone may live with Alzheimer's or how quickly the disease will progress.
Realistically, we are all dying. We just don't generally think about it. To us, it seems like Andy is still young. He's ONLY 62. But we all die, some sooner, some later.
Around the first of the year, some of our friends began to notice Andy was forgetting simple things that he had done automatically many times. One of those friends strongly suggested we make an appointment with a neuropsychologist to have Andy assessed. So that first appointment was in April. That doctor ordered blood work and an MRI with a follow up appointment in May. Those tests did not show anything and we were relieved to hear that dementia and Alzheimer's were negative. Since then, we have come to realize you can't tell from blood work if someone has those brain disorders. The MRI result just indicated that there was no mass or tumor. That doctor strongly suggested we make an appointment for further testing with a neuropsychology test: a comprehensive 5 hour oral test. Meanwhile, Andy contracted prostatitis - an infection in his prostrate - landing him in the ER with a temperature of 104 degrees.
When he got released from the hospital, after consultation with the urologist, we thought that the infection had been the cause of his memory issues, so we didn't follow up to make that neuropsychology test appointment. He had laser surgery on the prostrate at the end of June and we fully expected him to improve and be well again. However, he did not improve and even his recovery from the surgery was painstakingly slower than we had been led to believe.
In mid July, we went on our vacation to Moosehead Lake, but Andy was sick most of the time and did not participate in the family fun. He did a little hiking but was lacking in stamina and the enthusiasm he normally exhibits when he is on vacation and with the kids. He didn't read at all and swam very little, both activities that he enjoyed wholeheartedly in previous vacations. He was forgetful, was often confused and seemed in a mental fog most of the time.
When we returned home, several people strongly urged us to follow through to make the appointment for the neuropsychological testing. When I called, the earliest they could fit Andy in was October 7th. We had to wait a full 2 months. It was agony. Meanwhile, we continued to go to other doctors. We went to a psychologist, thinking Andy might be suffering from depression. We went to his family doctor. We also had a follow up with the urologist. And we also saw a psychiatrist. All the doctors were very helpful and he was prescribed medication for depression. It didn't seem to help. We struggled through until finally October 7th arrived. Andy was at that testing for 5 hours, doing all kinds of memory games, simple math problems, hand coordination exercises, etc. I wasn't in on the testing, but afterwards he said he was so humbled because he knew he wasn't getting the correct answers. After the test, I sat in with the doctors and Andy while they went over the results.
The doctors were very kind, explaining how he did, asking how he thought he did, then telling him that for a man of his intelligence and education, he didn't do even as well as a person with a less than 8th grade education. (Andy had 8 years of higher education - after high school.) I came right out and asked: "So are you saying that Andy has Alzheimer's?" And the doctor answered, "Yes, I'm very sorry, but that is what he has."
Well, we were shocked and sad, but God was gracious as he always is. He led us to Scripture, other reading material and dear friends to encourage us.
This is our story - it is unique to us, but it is part of the bigger story - God's story. He has a plan and his plan is perfect and good. You know how some stories can be confusing when you're reading them, but in this case, we know the ending. We live happily ever after in God's kingdom with our blessed Redeemer.
I have often been reminded in the last several weeks of a song Andy and I used to sing: Trust His Heart.
All things work for our good
Though sometimes we don't
See how they could
Struggles that break our hearts in two
Sometimes blind us to the truth
Our Father knows what's best for us
His ways are not our own
So when your pathway grows dim
And you just don't see him,
Remember you're never alone
Chorus:
God is too wise to be mistaken
God is too good to be unkind
So when you don't understand
When don't see his plan
When you can't trace his hand
Trust His Heart
He sees the master plan
He holds the future in his hand,
So don't live as those who have no hope,
ALL our hope is found in him.
We see the present clearly
He sees the first and last
And like a tapestry He's weaving you and me,
To someday be just like him
(Chorus)
He alone is faithful and true
He alone knows what is best for you
(Chorus)
When you can't trace his hand
When you don't see his plan
When you don't understand
Trust His Heart
Andy and I have been reminiscing and talking about the many blessings we have enjoyed together. We both are ok with the diagnosis of Alzheimer's knowing that life may get very difficult later. However, we are committed to trusting God in this new chapter, knowing that He will continue to be with us wherever we go. That wherever includes Alzheimer's.
Joshua 1:9: "Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."
Job 1:29: "The Lord gave (healthy brain cells/intelligence) and the Lord has taken away (dying brain cells/Alzheimer's); may the name of the Lord be praised."
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
Sunday, October 13, 2013
Katy's Birthday and Colonial Days on the Farm
We were able to fit in 2 visits to see 8 grandkids this week. The first was on Tuesday to take Katy's birthday present to her. She turned 3 on Thursday and it was a good excuse to spend some time with her and Amy, Chase & Joanna.
Our present to her was this little hobby horse that makes real horsie noises. She seemed very happy with it, as well as the little box of animal crackers we brought along for her.
It was a beautiful day and we were able to sit outside while the kids played on the trampoline. Andy was chasing them around and getting them wound up. It was a fun day!
Then yesterday (Saturday), Christy and family were involved in the Fall Harvest at the Peter Wentz Farmstead near their home. Grace was dressed in colonial costume and involved with helping to make apple cider.
The man in charge of this demonstration was very knowledgeable about apples. It was very interesting.
There were lots of other demonstrations, but we stayed with Grace most of the time, although we did take a tour of the house. The house was built in the 1700's and was actually a headquarters for George Washington in the Revolutionary War on several occasions in 1777.
Some of the other demonstrations included broom making, cooking the way it was done in the 1700's, making apple butter, gardening, preserving food for winter. Andy & I left before seeing all the demonstrations because of Andy's fatigue. But the weather was gorgeous and it was a beautiful day to be outside.
There were some older kids giving examples of the way kids played before tv and electronic toys. Aiden & Asher were pretty good at rolling the hoops and little Miss Claire had to give it a try as well.
The weather was beautiful again today and we couldn't resist being outdoors, so we drove over to Amico Island Park - one of our favorites. The sky was such a beautiful blue, leaves were turning, the sun was shining brightly and warm and there was a cool breeze - a perfect fall day.
There's nothing like a day outside in beautiful weather to bring peace and healing to the soul.
Our present to her was this little hobby horse that makes real horsie noises. She seemed very happy with it, as well as the little box of animal crackers we brought along for her.
Then yesterday (Saturday), Christy and family were involved in the Fall Harvest at the Peter Wentz Farmstead near their home. Grace was dressed in colonial costume and involved with helping to make apple cider.
The man in charge of this demonstration was very knowledgeable about apples. It was very interesting.
There were lots of other demonstrations, but we stayed with Grace most of the time, although we did take a tour of the house. The house was built in the 1700's and was actually a headquarters for George Washington in the Revolutionary War on several occasions in 1777.
There were some older kids giving examples of the way kids played before tv and electronic toys. Aiden & Asher were pretty good at rolling the hoops and little Miss Claire had to give it a try as well.
The weather was beautiful again today and we couldn't resist being outdoors, so we drove over to Amico Island Park - one of our favorites. The sky was such a beautiful blue, leaves were turning, the sun was shining brightly and warm and there was a cool breeze - a perfect fall day.
There's nothing like a day outside in beautiful weather to bring peace and healing to the soul.
Saturday, October 5, 2013
God's Waiting Room
Although I haven't been too consistent about blogging lately, it doesn't mean life has become boring. But in spite of all we're dealing with right now, I'm not at a place where I can verbalize it all or make sense of it yet.
Meanwhile, I've been doing a lot of reading to keep my mind, heart and spirit in the right place. One of the books was passed along to me by Marian, our pastor's wife, When the Heart Waits. The author, Sue Monk Kidd, did a wonderful job of verbalizing what I am going through. She used the analogy of the caterpillar going to the dark place inside the chrysalis. She explains how necessary that dark time is for the transformation that results.
It was an encouraging read because I felt like I was gaining permission to "draw in" and regroup. It is not wrong to take time away to refresh the spirit and just sit in the presence of the Lord, drawing from his strength and seeking his wisdom for what we're going through. This was refreshing for a task oriented, list maker like myself.
There are biblical examples of people who went through dark, seemingly sidelined and unproductive, times: Joseph, Moses, David, and the best example of all - Jesus in the tomb and resurrection! God uses the dark times to show us more of himself.
We are facing a lot of unknowns right now with Andy's health. Is there a diagnosis? If so, what? Then what can we do to correct the situation? It seems like the answers are sooooo long in coming. We see one doctor who sends us to another one who sends us to one more who...
The encouragement in all these unknowns is that we know the One who knows it all. Nothing is a surprise to him and he will use every circumstance in our lives for our growth and maturity and to make us more like Jesus and to bring glory to himself. I have great confidence in Him and his perfect purposes in and through us.
The challenge is to rest in the knowledge of who God is. He is loving, faithful, kind, works for the good of those who love him, etc. Saturating ourselves with His Word is the only way to make it through this uncertain time. Waiting is a difficult discipline for those who like action. I am quiet for a couple of days, then I start thinking of somewhere to go or someone to visit or a job that needs to be done. But there quite a few verses that talk about the benefits of waiting on the Lord. One of my favorites is Isaiah 64:4: "Since ancient times no one has heard, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him." Or another favorite: "those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength" (Isaiah 40:31). And does my strength need to be restored and renewed!
Another book that has ministered to me (although I'm still reading through it) is Paul Tripp's Lost in the Middle.
Meanwhile, I've been doing a lot of reading to keep my mind, heart and spirit in the right place. One of the books was passed along to me by Marian, our pastor's wife, When the Heart Waits. The author, Sue Monk Kidd, did a wonderful job of verbalizing what I am going through. She used the analogy of the caterpillar going to the dark place inside the chrysalis. She explains how necessary that dark time is for the transformation that results.
It was an encouraging read because I felt like I was gaining permission to "draw in" and regroup. It is not wrong to take time away to refresh the spirit and just sit in the presence of the Lord, drawing from his strength and seeking his wisdom for what we're going through. This was refreshing for a task oriented, list maker like myself.
There are biblical examples of people who went through dark, seemingly sidelined and unproductive, times: Joseph, Moses, David, and the best example of all - Jesus in the tomb and resurrection! God uses the dark times to show us more of himself.
We are facing a lot of unknowns right now with Andy's health. Is there a diagnosis? If so, what? Then what can we do to correct the situation? It seems like the answers are sooooo long in coming. We see one doctor who sends us to another one who sends us to one more who...
The encouragement in all these unknowns is that we know the One who knows it all. Nothing is a surprise to him and he will use every circumstance in our lives for our growth and maturity and to make us more like Jesus and to bring glory to himself. I have great confidence in Him and his perfect purposes in and through us.
The challenge is to rest in the knowledge of who God is. He is loving, faithful, kind, works for the good of those who love him, etc. Saturating ourselves with His Word is the only way to make it through this uncertain time. Waiting is a difficult discipline for those who like action. I am quiet for a couple of days, then I start thinking of somewhere to go or someone to visit or a job that needs to be done. But there quite a few verses that talk about the benefits of waiting on the Lord. One of my favorites is Isaiah 64:4: "Since ancient times no one has heard, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him." Or another favorite: "those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength" (Isaiah 40:31). And does my strength need to be restored and renewed!
Another book that has ministered to me (although I'm still reading through it) is Paul Tripp's Lost in the Middle.
It's written more toward mid life crises but a lot of it applies to where I am at this time, as well. He really understands the heart and the reasons why we do the things we do. We live in a broken world and things will not always turn out perfectly and the way we want them to, but we need to rest in the sovereign plan of God for our lives, trusting in Him completely. This can be difficult because no one likes to suffer, at least I don't. If I had my way, I wouldn't have any troubles - ever. But then I wouldn't know how much I need God. How can I experience the all-sufficiency of God except when I have no where else to turn. I love the saying I heard years ago from Corrie Ten Boom: "There is no pit so deep that God's love is not deeper still."
A passage from this book that gets to the heart of the matter:
One of the hardest things for sinners to do is to wait. We have little toleration for delayed gratification, so when we ask God for things, we include our schedule for delivery in the request. But God's sense of timing is infinitely different from ours. Who would have thought that there would be thousands of years between the Fall and the cross? Who would have thought that the world would have to wait so long for Abraham's promised seed? Who would have thought that God would allow his chosen children to be subjugated to slavery in a foreign land for four hundred and twenty years? Who would have thought that the "last days" that Paul talked about would still be continuing? God has a perfect sense of timing. His moment is always the right moment. He never gets his schedule mixed up or gets things out of order. Yet the wait confuses us, because we reason that if the thing is a good thing then a loving God would deliver it to us with haste.
So although I have no answers for what we're going through, I am learning to wait on the Lord and be strengthened and find rest in Him and Him alone. A good thing to think on is: Do I find my satisfaction in His gifts or in Him alone? Do I need to understand perfectly what he is doing or feel entitled to enjoying perfect health the rest of my life? "The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised" (Job 1:21). He deserves our praise, worship and adoration in any and every circumstance. Can I sing from my heart: "O love that will not let me go, I rest my weary soul in Thee" ?
In this time of difficulty, I want to be characterized as running to the Lord, not from Him. Yes, I am facing things that were not in my plan, but I am not facing them alone. God is with me, He is for me, He loves me. This moment of painful grace is sure evidence of his presence.
Psalm 62:1-2
Truly my soul finds rest in God;
my salvation comes from him.
Truly he is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.
A passage from this book that gets to the heart of the matter:
One of the hardest things for sinners to do is to wait. We have little toleration for delayed gratification, so when we ask God for things, we include our schedule for delivery in the request. But God's sense of timing is infinitely different from ours. Who would have thought that there would be thousands of years between the Fall and the cross? Who would have thought that the world would have to wait so long for Abraham's promised seed? Who would have thought that God would allow his chosen children to be subjugated to slavery in a foreign land for four hundred and twenty years? Who would have thought that the "last days" that Paul talked about would still be continuing? God has a perfect sense of timing. His moment is always the right moment. He never gets his schedule mixed up or gets things out of order. Yet the wait confuses us, because we reason that if the thing is a good thing then a loving God would deliver it to us with haste.
So although I have no answers for what we're going through, I am learning to wait on the Lord and be strengthened and find rest in Him and Him alone. A good thing to think on is: Do I find my satisfaction in His gifts or in Him alone? Do I need to understand perfectly what he is doing or feel entitled to enjoying perfect health the rest of my life? "The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised" (Job 1:21). He deserves our praise, worship and adoration in any and every circumstance. Can I sing from my heart: "O love that will not let me go, I rest my weary soul in Thee" ?
In this time of difficulty, I want to be characterized as running to the Lord, not from Him. Yes, I am facing things that were not in my plan, but I am not facing them alone. God is with me, He is for me, He loves me. This moment of painful grace is sure evidence of his presence.
Psalm 62:1-2
Truly my soul finds rest in God;
my salvation comes from him.
Truly he is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.
Sunday, September 22, 2013
A Beautiful Day
Andy's mom and dad are at the shore for 3 weeks. It's been beautiful weather so far, but the forecast for yesterday (Saturday) indicated that storms would be rolling in and it would be very windy at the shore. We couldn't decide on whether or not we would take a trip down. After all, I had laundry and grocery shopping to do, it's a day off for me and I just wanted to stay home and putter around the house.
Then Christy called. Their family was down and were we coming? So we dropped everything and drove to the shore for the day. We are so glad we did because the weather was perfect. The sun was shining and there was no wind. So it was a good day to get some vitamin D and play with the grandkids and enjoy C & C.
Laundry and grocery shopping can wait.
By the end of the afternoon, the clouds were rolling in, but we had already enjoyed a beautiful day.
Then Christy called. Their family was down and were we coming? So we dropped everything and drove to the shore for the day. We are so glad we did because the weather was perfect. The sun was shining and there was no wind. So it was a good day to get some vitamin D and play with the grandkids and enjoy C & C.
Laundry and grocery shopping can wait.
Sunday, September 8, 2013
A Grand Weekend
Amy and Ricky celebrated their 10th anniversary in February. I can't believe they've already been married that long. They decided to celebrate by taking a trip to Yellowstone National Park by themselves. They asked if we were available to babysit the kids and I arranged to make the time. It helped that they went over Labor Day weekend so I didn't have to take any time off work.
They came down to our house on Saturday, then Andy took them to the airport in their Suburban. It was nice to be able to use their car while we had the kids since then we didn't have to move the car seats or wonder how we would fit all the kids in our car.
One of the things the kids like to do at our house is watch movies and eat pizza and ice cream. So I made pizza for supper and then we watched Cinderella and had ice cream.
Another thing the kids liked to do, especially Katy and Joanna, was to dress up in the play clothes. And Chase had dinosaur on the brain. He was constantly talking about them or pretending to be one.
On Sunday morning, I got them ready for church and took them all. Katy went into the toddler nursery and walked right in without a fuss. When I went to pick her up after church, she looked like she was having a good time. Our church nursery, though, is a very fun place - with lots of interesting toys and activities. Joanna went to Sunday school in Kira's class even though she was a year older. They had fun together. Chase sat in church with me. He did well until near the very end when his 7 year old boy legs just couldn't stay still any longer. He was stretching them out and being very patient but if it had gone much longer, I think he would have exploded!
After church we had lunch, then I lay down with Katy for her nap and Andy took Chase and Joanna back to church to play in the gym. Dawn and Kira met them there and they ran off their energy and had a ball together. Andy had bought 2 bikes for the kids so they had fun riding them around as well as playing with balls and games in the gym.
We had tentatively talked about going to the shore with the kids, but it rained on Monday (Labor Day) and the forecast for Tuesday was not much better. So we came up with an alternate plan: Chick-fil-A! Dawn and Kira met us there again and the kids played there for an hour while Dawn, Andy and I just enjoyed some quiet time. Oh, there were some moments when we had to get involved, but most of the time, they just played and played. Someone at Chick-fil-A had a very brilliant idea when they designed all their restaurants with the indoor playground.
After lunch, we took Chase & Joanna to Dawn's and left them there to play with Kira all afternoon while Andy and I took Katy to our house for her nap and some quiet time for us. When Katy woke up, the three of us went to Dawn's and let them play some more. The rain had cleared up and they were able to play outside by the time we got there.
I don't know why these photos are sideways and I don't know how to change them. If anyone has any clues, I'm open to any advice you can give me. (The sideways photos were taken with my iphone.)
On Tuesday morning the rain had cleared up but we were thinking it would be too much to drive all the way to the shore for the kids to be in the car all that time, then later in the car again when we took them up to Lancaster. So we came up with a different plan.
We met Dawn and Kira at Laurel Acres Park where the kids played in the play area for about an hour and a half. It was pretty humid so with all their activity and running around, they got very hot and sweaty. So that was a good segue to a neighbor's pool to cool off.
All in all, it was a fun time with the Chase, Joanna & Katy.
They came down to our house on Saturday, then Andy took them to the airport in their Suburban. It was nice to be able to use their car while we had the kids since then we didn't have to move the car seats or wonder how we would fit all the kids in our car.
One of the things the kids like to do at our house is watch movies and eat pizza and ice cream. So I made pizza for supper and then we watched Cinderella and had ice cream.
Another thing the kids liked to do, especially Katy and Joanna, was to dress up in the play clothes. And Chase had dinosaur on the brain. He was constantly talking about them or pretending to be one.
After church we had lunch, then I lay down with Katy for her nap and Andy took Chase and Joanna back to church to play in the gym. Dawn and Kira met them there and they ran off their energy and had a ball together. Andy had bought 2 bikes for the kids so they had fun riding them around as well as playing with balls and games in the gym.
We had tentatively talked about going to the shore with the kids, but it rained on Monday (Labor Day) and the forecast for Tuesday was not much better. So we came up with an alternate plan: Chick-fil-A! Dawn and Kira met us there again and the kids played there for an hour while Dawn, Andy and I just enjoyed some quiet time. Oh, there were some moments when we had to get involved, but most of the time, they just played and played. Someone at Chick-fil-A had a very brilliant idea when they designed all their restaurants with the indoor playground.
After lunch, we took Chase & Joanna to Dawn's and left them there to play with Kira all afternoon while Andy and I took Katy to our house for her nap and some quiet time for us. When Katy woke up, the three of us went to Dawn's and let them play some more. The rain had cleared up and they were able to play outside by the time we got there.
I don't know why these photos are sideways and I don't know how to change them. If anyone has any clues, I'm open to any advice you can give me. (The sideways photos were taken with my iphone.)
On Tuesday morning the rain had cleared up but we were thinking it would be too much to drive all the way to the shore for the kids to be in the car all that time, then later in the car again when we took them up to Lancaster. So we came up with a different plan.
We met Dawn and Kira at Laurel Acres Park where the kids played in the play area for about an hour and a half. It was pretty humid so with all their activity and running around, they got very hot and sweaty. So that was a good segue to a neighbor's pool to cool off.
We had quite a shakeup at the pool. Chase & Katy were in the above floater together, just tooling around the pool, when all of a sudden Katy jumped out. I guess she thought she had little swimmies on, but she didn't. Chase yelled at us. When we looked his way, all we could see of Katy was the top of her head and her hands flailing under the water. Dawn jumped in, clothes and all, she still hadn't got her swimming suit on, to rescue Katy. She held her up and Katy didn't even splutter. She must have been holding her breath, but we estimated she must have been under for at least 15 seconds. She was a little scared, and we told her she couldn't do that again, but she seemed to be fine. Whew!
We didn't stay at the pool very long because we had one more thing scheduled to do with the kids. We all went to our house to have lunch, then Dawn and I and all the kids went on to the Bouncy Place in Cherry Hill where the kids bounced for 2 hours. Andy stayed home to rest and recuperate before the trip up to Lancaster. I was so amazed at the energy level of the kids. How do they continue to keep on going? Are they running on Energizer batteries? It's just amazing. Fortunately, at the Bouncy Place, Dawn and I could sit on the bench and just watch the kids, it was actually pretty restful for the adults there but opportunity for the kids to jump and run to their heart's content.
I took some pictures of them sliding down the slides but they were going so fast the pictures were nothing but blurs.
All too soon it was time to return the little darlings to their home. Actually, Tuesday afternoon we drove them up to Lancaster County to Ricky's parents' who were going to take care of them the rest of the week.
As fun as it was to have them, I have to admit that it was also exhausting. We're not used to having 3 kids with that much energy. They were good and obedient and fun, so there were no complaints there. And we were happy Ricky and Amy had the opportunity to get away by themselves.
A few more pictures of our time:
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| On the neighbor's trampoline |
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| Katy the monkey |
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| Loving PopPop! |
Sunday, August 18, 2013
Since vacation
Even though it's been a while since I've posted, it's not because life has been boring. Lots has been going on and I'll try to fill in some details.
Since vacation, Andy and I have been busy with doctor appointments. We had his hearing tested and he needs hearing aids. He's known that for quite a while, actually, but hasn't wanted to admit the extent of his hearing loss, for several reasons. One, is hearing loss a sign of weakness or old age??? Two, hearing aids are very expensive. Andy has never been a big spender (this is a good thing!), and especially doesn't spend money on himself. But after pressure from his wife and daughters, he finally gave in to us and let me make an appointment. He has significant hearing loss in the treble registers, which means it's harder to hear women's voices. (I wonder if that's why he didn't want to get the hearing aids - he likes not hearing us! - yada, yada!) When we heard the price, he had to be talked into the importance to his life of being able to hear what's going on. So we are biting the bullet and getting them. We're thinking of it as investing in his health so that he will be able to be more productive in his work and interpersonal relationships.
We've also had a number of birthday celebrations. My mother celebrated her 85th on Thursday. She is so energetic and full of spunk. She was actually still working until a week or so ago. She goes to exercise class twice a week, mows her own lawn, quilts and does all kinds of needlework, makes jellies and jams, plays games with her friends, etc. She is an inspiration to me when I feel old or tired! I left work at normal time on Thursday afternoon and drove up to visit with her and take her out to eat. After dinner, we played some games before going to bed. I stayed overnight and had breakfast and coffee with her before leaving mid morning and returning home. I didn't take my camera with me so I have no pictures to post of our time together.
Then last night, we had a surprise party for Andy's mom who turns 80 on Saturday. Andy's brother Dan planned the party with some help from the rest of us. He is so creative and interesting so of course the party was a lot of fun. Mom was totally surprised and shocked.
All of our kids and their families were there so it was a lot of fun to be together. Dawn organized a little song for the grandkids to sing to their Great Grandmom.
Little Claire won't let me put her down. Of course, I'm happy to have as much cuddle time as possible with her. And Tommy - photo bombing our picture. What a guy!
We really haven't done much with the house except that we've recently noticed some weathering on the outside doors on the north side of the house. Andy bought a storm door to install for the one door but then we got the idea to look into awnings for over the doors. We had a company come out and give an estimate, then ordered them. I like them, they add some interest to the back of the house (and we were able to return the storm door).
In between all the excitement, I'm making a variety of summer salads for our dinners.
I just made this one up without a recipe. It's pretty easy - just use the ingredients you'd use for tacos.
Since vacation, Andy and I have been busy with doctor appointments. We had his hearing tested and he needs hearing aids. He's known that for quite a while, actually, but hasn't wanted to admit the extent of his hearing loss, for several reasons. One, is hearing loss a sign of weakness or old age??? Two, hearing aids are very expensive. Andy has never been a big spender (this is a good thing!), and especially doesn't spend money on himself. But after pressure from his wife and daughters, he finally gave in to us and let me make an appointment. He has significant hearing loss in the treble registers, which means it's harder to hear women's voices. (I wonder if that's why he didn't want to get the hearing aids - he likes not hearing us! - yada, yada!) When we heard the price, he had to be talked into the importance to his life of being able to hear what's going on. So we are biting the bullet and getting them. We're thinking of it as investing in his health so that he will be able to be more productive in his work and interpersonal relationships.
We've also had a number of birthday celebrations. My mother celebrated her 85th on Thursday. She is so energetic and full of spunk. She was actually still working until a week or so ago. She goes to exercise class twice a week, mows her own lawn, quilts and does all kinds of needlework, makes jellies and jams, plays games with her friends, etc. She is an inspiration to me when I feel old or tired! I left work at normal time on Thursday afternoon and drove up to visit with her and take her out to eat. After dinner, we played some games before going to bed. I stayed overnight and had breakfast and coffee with her before leaving mid morning and returning home. I didn't take my camera with me so I have no pictures to post of our time together.
Then last night, we had a surprise party for Andy's mom who turns 80 on Saturday. Andy's brother Dan planned the party with some help from the rest of us. He is so creative and interesting so of course the party was a lot of fun. Mom was totally surprised and shocked.
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| With Jeff & Cindi |
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| With Andy and Dan |
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| Norma Jean, the Birthday Queen |
All of our kids and their families were there so it was a lot of fun to be together. Dawn organized a little song for the grandkids to sing to their Great Grandmom.
Little Claire won't let me put her down. Of course, I'm happy to have as much cuddle time as possible with her. And Tommy - photo bombing our picture. What a guy!
We really haven't done much with the house except that we've recently noticed some weathering on the outside doors on the north side of the house. Andy bought a storm door to install for the one door but then we got the idea to look into awnings for over the doors. We had a company come out and give an estimate, then ordered them. I like them, they add some interest to the back of the house (and we were able to return the storm door).
In between all the excitement, I'm making a variety of summer salads for our dinners.
I just made this one up without a recipe. It's pretty easy - just use the ingredients you'd use for tacos.
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| Taco Salad |
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| Greek Pasta Salad |
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| Top Ramen Salad |
Saturday, August 3, 2013
Maine Vacation 2013
Two weeks in Maine - wow! Can life get any better! The Welcome to Maine sign as you cross the border has the motto: "the way life should be." I'm not sure I completely agree with that, but I do agree that it's the way a vacation should be.
We left at 4:00 am on Saturday, July 20th and drove all day to arrive at Moosehead Lake by 2:15 pm. We drive as far as we can with as few stops as possible, packing our breakfast and lunch in the car and eating as we drive. It was so hot in NJ before we left, but as we drove north, the temperature in the car kept dropping till it was just right when we got to the lake. Christy and Christian and kids arrived about 2 hours after we did and we fixed barbeque chicken pizza for supper and unpacked to settle in.
The next day, Sunday, we all went to church in Greenville. Ron Reamer is pastor there and has been there for 5 years or so after serving in our own church here in Jersey. However, he was on vacation so a guest speaker, Tom Allen, was speaking. Tom is a faculty member at Cairn U and had been one of the professors at WWC, as well, so it was fun to get re-acquainted with him and his wife.
After church and lunch, we enjoyed the dock. The sun was warm but there was a cool breeze. The way life should be!
I'm not sure what we did on Monday. I didn't write anything down that day, I guess we just did vacation-y type things.
It rained all day Tuesday, so as a diversion, Andy and I drove to town for a few things. When we got back, Andy had some lunch and not too much later got very sick. He spent the next several hours throwing up and having diarrhea - at the same time. Poor guy! He was in bed the rest of the day except for a short appearance after our supper.
It rained again on Wednesday. Christy and gang went over to Beaver Cove to spend the day with her in-laws and the kids' cousins. Andy and I enjoyed the quiet, then decided to drive to Jackman for dinner. When we got there, we couldn't find the restaurant on the lake where we had eaten in previous years (found out later it had closed), so drove back to Greenville and ate at Kelly's Landing. Whew-that's a lot of driving: 26 miles to Jackman, then 26 miles back and 20 more miles to Greenville. We did see one moose running along the side of the road, but by the time Andy stopped the car and I got out to take the picture, the moose was pretty far away. He looks like a dot in the distance. Andy felt fine all day - very strange illness the day before. Was it food poisoning? Or some sort of stomach bug?
Another beautiful day on Thursday, with the sun shining and a cool refreshing breeze, perfect for climbing Mount Kineo (the way life should be!). Christian and all the kids except Claire and Asher went over in the canoe, while Christy, Claire, Asher, Andy and I were going to take the shuttle. However, there were so many people waiting to go across the lake because the weather was so gorgeous, that we didn't make the first cut. Then as we're waiting for next shuttle, Christian's dad came by in his boat, so we all hopped in and saved the shuttle fee! Christian's dad and mom, Christian's sister and brother-in-law and their kids all joined in the hike. There were so many people hiking that day, we had never seen so many people at the top of the mountain. It's a strenuous hike and I was exhausted the rest of the day.
Friday was another rainy day. We sat around in the morning, working on a puzzle. In the afternoon, we went to town again. Andy and I didn't stay long since we don't like to shop. C & C & gang stayed all afternoon finding treasures and brought back lobsters, mussels, clams and scallops which they then cooked up for dinner. That was an adventure!
On Saturday, we enjoyed another beautiful Maine day - the way life should be. It started out cloudy but there was enough of a breeze to chase the clouds away. So we headed over to Borestone Mountain and climbed that. It went easier than I anticipated but our legs were shaky and weak on the way down. It's certainly worth it, though: the view from the top, the cool breezes after the workout and the feeling of accomplishment in keeping up with the younger people.
We went to church again on Sunday morning. Our own youth group was in attendance, enjoying a week in Maine after all their summer ministry service. Our youth pastor, who happens to be related by marriage to Ron Reamer, preached the message. After church and lunch, we enjoyed the sun on the dock by the lake. I'm getting a nice tan!
On Monday, we decided to hike the Burnt Jacket Trail near Jackman. It came highly recommended by a friend. So we drove the 26 miles to Jackman, then another 5 miles to the trailhead. When we all got out of the cars, we were immediately surrounded by clouds of insects: mosquitos and deer flies, thirsty for our blood. We started hiking, being careful to keep arms swatting at our heads and moving as quickly as we could.
C & C decided not to put up with the insect aggravation and they all left, so Andy and I continued on by ourselves to the top. It was a nice trail, going through lots of ferns in spots. But it was pretty wet and soggy in other spots and the rocks were slippery. The bugs weren't as bad when we got going. And of course, making it to the top made it worth all the aggravation: cool breezes and lovely views (the way life should be - forget about bugs and humidity and difficult trails).
In observing the view, though, one of the things we noticed was that there were some thick dark gray storm clouds rolling toward us, then thunder started echoing off the mountains. We did not linger at the top, but hurried down, hoping to beat the storm - which we did!
On Tuesday, we decided to go to White Cap Mountain to hike, but on the way, Christy started feeling sick. We ended up coming back to the house so she could lie down. Christian and the kids played in and on the lake, Andy went for a bike ride and I went to see my friend Ruth to walk with her around the lake and catch up on what we've been doing.
Well, on Wednesday, we made it to White Cap Mountain. This mountain is part of the Appalachian Trail (AT). It took us 1-1/2 hours to drive to the trail head and some of the road was rocky and pot-holey - very difficult driving. The hike itself was written up as "moderate" but it was very long and parts, especially at the top, were VERY strenuous with stone stairs that seemed to go on forever. It was 3 miles up, but as usual, it was beautiful at the top. It was pretty clear so you could see mountain after mountain from up there, as well as lots of lakes nestled in the valleys. It was very cool at the top which was so refreshing after all that climbing. We ate our lunch up there, then hiked the 3 miles down. What a long and vigorous hike. I was never so glad to get back to the car. Andy didn't go the whole way up, but I just had to go on. I was about done in, though, I can tell you.
It was C & C's anniversary, so they had reservations to eat out and we took the kids for pizza. When we got back to the house, Andy and the kids played on the dock for a little while, then came in for ice cream. And about that time, C & C got back.
Thursday was a true vacation day: sit on the dock and soak in the sun (the way life should be). I did go into town with Christy for a couple of errands, but the rest of the day just relaxed. We were all pretty tired from that strenuous hike yesterday.
When we woke up on Friday morning, it was pouring rain, so Andy and I decided to pack up and leave. But by the time we showered, ate and packed up, it was already 10:30. Poor Andy had to pack up the car in the pouring rain. He got soaked. It was a long and tiring drive. Massachusetts was one long parking lot with an average speed of between 0 and 15 mph for many miles. Ugh! Not the way life should be. Fortunately, I had my Kindle handy and The Mysterious Island, which we are currently reading, was at an exciting spot. What took us a little over 10 hours to get to Maine, took almost 12 to get home.
But we were happy to be home again and to have all day today to get settled back in: laundry, grocery shopping, sorting the mound of mail and mowing the lawn.
We left at 4:00 am on Saturday, July 20th and drove all day to arrive at Moosehead Lake by 2:15 pm. We drive as far as we can with as few stops as possible, packing our breakfast and lunch in the car and eating as we drive. It was so hot in NJ before we left, but as we drove north, the temperature in the car kept dropping till it was just right when we got to the lake. Christy and Christian and kids arrived about 2 hours after we did and we fixed barbeque chicken pizza for supper and unpacked to settle in.
The next day, Sunday, we all went to church in Greenville. Ron Reamer is pastor there and has been there for 5 years or so after serving in our own church here in Jersey. However, he was on vacation so a guest speaker, Tom Allen, was speaking. Tom is a faculty member at Cairn U and had been one of the professors at WWC, as well, so it was fun to get re-acquainted with him and his wife.
After church and lunch, we enjoyed the dock. The sun was warm but there was a cool breeze. The way life should be!
I'm not sure what we did on Monday. I didn't write anything down that day, I guess we just did vacation-y type things.
It rained all day Tuesday, so as a diversion, Andy and I drove to town for a few things. When we got back, Andy had some lunch and not too much later got very sick. He spent the next several hours throwing up and having diarrhea - at the same time. Poor guy! He was in bed the rest of the day except for a short appearance after our supper.
It rained again on Wednesday. Christy and gang went over to Beaver Cove to spend the day with her in-laws and the kids' cousins. Andy and I enjoyed the quiet, then decided to drive to Jackman for dinner. When we got there, we couldn't find the restaurant on the lake where we had eaten in previous years (found out later it had closed), so drove back to Greenville and ate at Kelly's Landing. Whew-that's a lot of driving: 26 miles to Jackman, then 26 miles back and 20 more miles to Greenville. We did see one moose running along the side of the road, but by the time Andy stopped the car and I got out to take the picture, the moose was pretty far away. He looks like a dot in the distance. Andy felt fine all day - very strange illness the day before. Was it food poisoning? Or some sort of stomach bug?
Another beautiful day on Thursday, with the sun shining and a cool refreshing breeze, perfect for climbing Mount Kineo (the way life should be!). Christian and all the kids except Claire and Asher went over in the canoe, while Christy, Claire, Asher, Andy and I were going to take the shuttle. However, there were so many people waiting to go across the lake because the weather was so gorgeous, that we didn't make the first cut. Then as we're waiting for next shuttle, Christian's dad came by in his boat, so we all hopped in and saved the shuttle fee! Christian's dad and mom, Christian's sister and brother-in-law and their kids all joined in the hike. There were so many people hiking that day, we had never seen so many people at the top of the mountain. It's a strenuous hike and I was exhausted the rest of the day.
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| PopPop and Claire |
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| Where does he get all his abounding energy? |
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| I love their expressions! |
Friday was another rainy day. We sat around in the morning, working on a puzzle. In the afternoon, we went to town again. Andy and I didn't stay long since we don't like to shop. C & C & gang stayed all afternoon finding treasures and brought back lobsters, mussels, clams and scallops which they then cooked up for dinner. That was an adventure!
On Saturday, we enjoyed another beautiful Maine day - the way life should be. It started out cloudy but there was enough of a breeze to chase the clouds away. So we headed over to Borestone Mountain and climbed that. It went easier than I anticipated but our legs were shaky and weak on the way down. It's certainly worth it, though: the view from the top, the cool breezes after the workout and the feeling of accomplishment in keeping up with the younger people.
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| Where we have to go |
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| I made it |
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| The moss chair |
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| Making Grammy Nervous |
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| Yikes! |
We went to church again on Sunday morning. Our own youth group was in attendance, enjoying a week in Maine after all their summer ministry service. Our youth pastor, who happens to be related by marriage to Ron Reamer, preached the message. After church and lunch, we enjoyed the sun on the dock by the lake. I'm getting a nice tan!
On Monday, we decided to hike the Burnt Jacket Trail near Jackman. It came highly recommended by a friend. So we drove the 26 miles to Jackman, then another 5 miles to the trailhead. When we all got out of the cars, we were immediately surrounded by clouds of insects: mosquitos and deer flies, thirsty for our blood. We started hiking, being careful to keep arms swatting at our heads and moving as quickly as we could.
C & C decided not to put up with the insect aggravation and they all left, so Andy and I continued on by ourselves to the top. It was a nice trail, going through lots of ferns in spots. But it was pretty wet and soggy in other spots and the rocks were slippery. The bugs weren't as bad when we got going. And of course, making it to the top made it worth all the aggravation: cool breezes and lovely views (the way life should be - forget about bugs and humidity and difficult trails).
In observing the view, though, one of the things we noticed was that there were some thick dark gray storm clouds rolling toward us, then thunder started echoing off the mountains. We did not linger at the top, but hurried down, hoping to beat the storm - which we did!
On Tuesday, we decided to go to White Cap Mountain to hike, but on the way, Christy started feeling sick. We ended up coming back to the house so she could lie down. Christian and the kids played in and on the lake, Andy went for a bike ride and I went to see my friend Ruth to walk with her around the lake and catch up on what we've been doing.
Well, on Wednesday, we made it to White Cap Mountain. This mountain is part of the Appalachian Trail (AT). It took us 1-1/2 hours to drive to the trail head and some of the road was rocky and pot-holey - very difficult driving. The hike itself was written up as "moderate" but it was very long and parts, especially at the top, were VERY strenuous with stone stairs that seemed to go on forever. It was 3 miles up, but as usual, it was beautiful at the top. It was pretty clear so you could see mountain after mountain from up there, as well as lots of lakes nestled in the valleys. It was very cool at the top which was so refreshing after all that climbing. We ate our lunch up there, then hiked the 3 miles down. What a long and vigorous hike. I was never so glad to get back to the car. Andy didn't go the whole way up, but I just had to go on. I was about done in, though, I can tell you.
It was C & C's anniversary, so they had reservations to eat out and we took the kids for pizza. When we got back to the house, Andy and the kids played on the dock for a little while, then came in for ice cream. And about that time, C & C got back.
Thursday was a true vacation day: sit on the dock and soak in the sun (the way life should be). I did go into town with Christy for a couple of errands, but the rest of the day just relaxed. We were all pretty tired from that strenuous hike yesterday.
When we woke up on Friday morning, it was pouring rain, so Andy and I decided to pack up and leave. But by the time we showered, ate and packed up, it was already 10:30. Poor Andy had to pack up the car in the pouring rain. He got soaked. It was a long and tiring drive. Massachusetts was one long parking lot with an average speed of between 0 and 15 mph for many miles. Ugh! Not the way life should be. Fortunately, I had my Kindle handy and The Mysterious Island, which we are currently reading, was at an exciting spot. What took us a little over 10 hours to get to Maine, took almost 12 to get home.
But we were happy to be home again and to have all day today to get settled back in: laundry, grocery shopping, sorting the mound of mail and mowing the lawn.
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| Maine - the way life should be! |
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